AXES Body Paragraphs

AXES stands for... Assertion eXample Explanation Significance

Assertion Claim or topic sentence Main point What the paragraph is about

Example Evidence/ quote/ paraphrase Support for your assertion Remember to cite your examples

Explanation Commentary/analysis Explaining how/why your example supports your assertion

Significance How does this paragraph prove your thesis? Why does it matter?

Weak or Strong Assertion? Americans are dependent on technology.

Weak or Strong Assertion? Teenagers will no longer communicate face-to-face because of their dependence on cellphones.

Weak Example “As American teens adopt smartphones, they have a variety of methods for communication and sharing at their disposal. Texting is an especially important mode of communication for many teens. Some 88% of teens have or have access to cell phones or smartphones and 90% of those teens with phones exchange texts. A typical teen sends and receives 30 texts per day. And teens are not simply sending messages through the texting system that telephone companies offer. Some 73% of teens have access to smartphones and among them messaging apps like Kik or WhatsApp have caught on. Fully 33% of teens with phones have such apps.” http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

Strong Example After studying teens’ use of technology and the Internet, Pew Research Center found that “Texting is an especially important mode of communication for many teens. Some 88% of teens have or have access to cell phones or smartphones...A typical teen sends and receives 30 texts per day” (Lenhart). http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/ The last example is stronger than the first because you are using only the part of the quote that supports your assertion. Having all of that extra data is confusing and distracting to the reader (it can also be seen as a “filler” by your professor).The rest of the data can be used later if needed in another paragraph.

Weak Explanation A lot of teens have cell phones and send a lot of text messages. This is ruining their relationships with friends and families.

Strong Explanation As the majority of teens own cell phones, their methods of communication have shifted. Teens now frequently use texting as a means of communication. The more time teens spend interacting with others through their cell phones, the less face-to-face interactions they have with their friends and family. Their dependence on cell phones and technology has lessened their skill of effectively communicating in person.

Weak Significance Technology is negatively affecting teenagers’ lives. Society is suffering because of this.

Strong Significance The relationship between teenagers and technology has replaced human to human relationships. Society, as an institution, can only exist when community is present; the replacement of humans with technology is thus degrading the institution itself by taking community out of society.